Table of Contents
Garlic is a necessary item for cooking numerous dishes. Whether it is the season of growing garlic or not, you will always get them at the market. However, when you bring them home, you need to store them appropriately to keep them good for a long time.
If you are growing garlic in your kitchen garden, you must take care in preserving them adequately for further use. Garlic’s are flavored bulbs that are good for breakfasts, lunch, as well as dinners. Though many call them herbs, they are similar to onions. This guide will help you if you are worried about how to store garlic! Look at the various ways in which you can store them.
Buying Garlic
Well, if the very idea of how to store garlic seems unusual to you as garlic is inexpensive, you must remember that storing garlic gives you proper health benefits. The very first step that you need to take for storing garlic is to buy them or collect them from your garden. You must not waste garlic only because it is available widely in the market.
No matter in what way you keep garlic they remain good for a very long time as compared to other vegetables. Yet you must take proper measures to preserve them so that you can get all the benefits from them. Nonetheless, it is very important to buy proper garlic from the market or collect them from your garden before storing it.
The most important thing that you must do to store garlic is to buy fresh garlic so that it can stay in good shape for a long time. While you get it from your garden, it is always fresh so you need not worry about it. From the store, check that the garlic you are buying does not have black powdery substances on it, as these are molds that damage the garlic.
You must also ensure that the bulbs of the garlic are firm, tightly bonded, and have dry skins. These are the signs of good garlic. However, while collecting them from the garden, you don’t need to think of these things much as the garlic available is of the same breed.
Nevertheless, you must check that the garlic bulbs you have chosen do not have any sign of sprouting. If you find any of the bulbs having such tendencies, you must skip them for storing. These are the basic points that you must check before obtaining garlic if you are worried about how to store garlic properly.
Also Read: How to Mince Garlic? [4 Effortless Steps with Photos]
Six ways on how to store garlic
Storing garlic is not a difficult task. You can do it very easily by following some steps and ways. There are many ways in which you can store garlic. However, if you are too worried about how to store garlic you can follow any of the six ways that are discussed below.
Store at room temperature
Storing at room temperature is one of the easiest ways to preserve garlic. It is hassle-free and the garlic stays intact for a long time. However, be sure that the place you are keeping is not attacked by pests and insects that might damage it.
Moreover, garlic staying at room temperature must be kept in an airy place. You can use meshed bags or loosely woven baskets to store them. Don’t keep the garlic in an airtight container or place that might make it rot.
If you don’t have meshed bags and loosely woven baskets, and are thinking about how to store garlic, we have an answer for it. You can also use flower pots to store garlic. Just put the pot upside down. This will not only keep the garlic cool and healthy but also in a good condition for a long time.
Store by dehydrating
Another way in which you can store garlic is by making them. dehydrated Even, making dehydrated garlic is also very easy and simple. Peel the garlic first and then slice them thin and neat. Once you get the sliced garlic in a bowl, you can put them in a dehydrator or an oven. Keep them there until the slice of garlic becomes crisp. As you get the crisped garlic slices, keep them in an airtight container.
You can keep the container at room temperature. Dried garlic stays good for a long time in airtight containers. However, if you are worried about how to store garlic for months, keep a close eye to check the jar remains airtight, else the fired garlic might rot. An airtight container can keep them like that for several months.
Store in Flavored oil
Storing garlic in flavored oil is a choice of many people. Several houses prefer the taste and smell of garlic much and thus they follow this measure to store garlic. If you are doubtful about how to store garlic naturally you can choose this method to store it.
In the beginning, you will need dried garlic which you can obtain by heating them in a pan or oven till they become crispy. Use a jar and fill it with the dried garlic and add your flavored oil to it. You can use olive oil too. As they are stored in the oil they will soften with time.
If you are thinking about how to store garlic and use it, you can easily utilize garlic in flavored oil for salad dressing. Both the softened pulp and the flavored oil can be used for the dressing. However, don’t try to prepare garlic-flavored oil with undried garlic. They are not at all good for health.
Fresh garlic in oil makes the perfect environment for botulism. However, by any chance, if you prepare garlic and oil mixture with fresh garlic, store it in the fridge and use it within three weeks.
Store by roasting
Roasting garlic in the oven and storing it is another popular way of preserving it if you want to know how to store garlic. You can easily store them in your freezer also. You don’t even need to peel the garlic for roasting it. You can use roasted garlic in any dish you want were using fresh garlic is recommended.
Roasted garlic remains fresh and mellow for a long time. However, it is best for crusty bread or when dropped on pizza. If you are thinking about how to store garlic in a short time, you can roast it. Roasting takes just 30 to 45 minutes to be ready for use. Put the bulbs of garlic in an oil greased pan and bake them for some time till they become soft.
Once roasted you can peel out the soft flesh from inside. As you complete roasting, store it in an airtight jar in the freezer. You must know that storing garlic with high oil content makes it ideal for freezing because it never hardens. In this way, you can store garlic easily for a long time. You don’t even have to visit the grocery store for garlic just now and then.
Store it by pickling in vinegar
Another way to preserve garlic if you want to know how to store garlic is by pickling it in vinegar. Pickling makes the garlic soft and keeps it fresh and ready to be served and used. You can very easily serve it raw with salads and vegetables. Have you ever pickled veggies before? If yes, then the process is the same.
One of the easiest ways to pickle garlic is by adding garlic and salt in a jar and pouring vinegar into it. They are ideal to store in the refrigerator. You can toss the garlic slightly before pickling it. Remember, in this way you can keep the garlic fresh for a long time. Garlic is a taste enhancer and thus in whichever way you store them will make them ideal for use later. You can also use wine in place of vinegar for storing garlic.
Store by making garlic salt
To make garlic salt, you need dried garlic. It is a way in which garlic is stored in powder form. Don’t use fresh garlic as you will not get the powdery texture to store. You can use this garlic salt in every dish which will add a slight taste of garlic to it. If you are looking for how to store garlic with simple ingredients you can use this method.
This way only requires dried garlic and salt. Put them together in a blender and blend them until a powdery form is obtained. Once it is ready, you can store them in tight-fitting glass containers with lids. Keep it in a dry and dark place so that it stays there for a long time. You can store garlic in this way every easily and simply.
Is it good to store garlic in refrigerators?
If how to store garlic in the fridge crosses your mind, you just know whether it is good to store garlic in a refrigerator or not. Well, there is a great debate on this topic. Many people think, there is no harm in storing garlic in the fridge. However, there is a section of people who think, storing garlic in fridges not only makes it lose its shape and color, but also the taste. Even refrigerating garlic often speeds up sprouting.
As garlic is played in winter and it develops its roots in winter in the ground, refrigerating it might not be good enough and you can’t keep them for a long time also. Though there is no harm to have sprouted garlic, it might add a bitter taste to the garlic. Nonetheless, people who don’t use garlic frequently can store them in fridges. Though storing it as a whole is good for preserving it. However, you can store separated cloves also.
Avoid plastic bags and use aluminum foils to warp and store them in. Nevertheless, you can also chop the garlic finely or crush them and keep them in air-tight containers. Remember, storing fired garlic, or garlic mixed with flavored oil, or garlic in wine or vinegar can be easily stored in refrigerators. If you are worried about how to store garlic without putting it in oil or salt or drying it, you can easily adapt this way of refrigerating it.
Tips on how to store garlic
After knowing how to store garlic you must about some tips that will help you to initiate the process of storing garlic. These tips will also help you to know about the dos and don’ts that you need to know before storing garlic. Look at the tips we have for you:
- Check the garlic before buying: If you are concerned about how to store garlic you should check the quality of garlic before buying it. The garlic should be firm, tightly bonded, and have dry skins. It should also be bereft of black powdery substances which are molds.
Don’t buy garlic that is mellow as it might not last firing time. If you check the quality of garlic before buying, you can store them for a long time. You must also avoid refrigerated garlic from stores.
- Make the garlic dry before storing: If you are thinking about how to store garlic at room temperature you just keep it dry so that it lasts long. As you buy the garlic from the market or collect it from your garden, you must wash it and then dry it. Water may be a reason for the garlic to rot. Keep it in a dry and airy place so that it can dry easily.
- Store garlic in dark, dry, and airy places: As you are interested in how to store garlic and want to know what is the ideal condition for it, you must remember the phrase, ‘dark, dry, and airy’! Store garlic in an airy bag and cabinet. Make sure the area is completely dry and dark. You must keep garlic away from sunlight and moisture as it may help in sprouting.
- If you have broken the bulb, use it quickly: Once you have broken the bulb you should use that garlic as soon as possible. The unbroken bulbs can be used for eight to ten weeks, but once the bulb is broken, you need to use it within ten days. If you find that there are soft cloves you should eliminate them depending on their condition. Thinking about how to store garlic after breaking the bulbs? Roast them or dry them to keep them for a long time.
These are the ways you should know about how to store garlic! Well, be it the market or your garden from where you collect the garlic, follow the tips and the ways to store it for a long time. Though garlic is available and inexpensive, you must not waste it!
